Keeping Up With Kyle

I feel like a kinda loser that I’m only just now figuring out what the Black Cat Project is. Note: it is not this:

I remember seeing this tricked out Kees at Intelligentsia’s SCAA booth — shit, it was sexy. But now that I’ve actually discovered the link—blackcatcoffee.com—I’m finally figuring out that it’s about much more than a machine. They (Intelli-nauts) say it is the never-ending pursuit to reinvent espresso on the website, and there’s even a mission statement and everything. Also photos of that bad-ass machine. But MY favorite part of the site is the blog, dutifully maintained and updated primarily by Mr. Australia, Deaton Pigot, is the BLOG, which I shall call here the All Things Kyle Glanville Prepping for the WBC Blog. It’s awesome.

There are behind-the-scenes photos galore. For example, the photo of all Kyle’s equipment smashed from the rough trip back to L.A. That would piss anyone off except, I guess, the guy who won. No, actually, he’s probably pissed off, too. And yes, that’s Chris Owens in the illegally-lifted photo above. Even unscheduled visits from road tripping friends like Chris and M’lissa are documented here.

And the text is really interesting, too, telling all about Kyle’s practice regime, his struggles and triumphs, and his insights. I love Kyle even more for responding to a question about why doesn’t he just keep his USBC-winning routine the same for Copenhagen: “I like to keep it fresh and exciting.” He’s so cool.